Citrix XenApp Case Study - Housing Agency
Homes & Communities Agency
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Centralis supports application delivery for national housing & regeneration agency
"We see the
flexibility and scalability provided by our Citrix environment
as central to our ICT Strategy”
Tina Hughes, ICT Manager at HCA
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Features: Citrix XenApp, Secure Remote Access,
Flexible Working, Centralis Consultancy |
Summary
The newly formed Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is providing
staff with access to core business applications via a new Citrix
XenApp environment developed in partnership with IT consultancy partner
Centralis.
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“ The
project’s fixed timescales meant that particularly close
collaboration was required between the in-house team and
Centralis. Excellent working relationships were established
right from the off. "
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Tina Hughes, ICT Manager, HCA
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About the
Customer
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is the
national housing and regeneration agency for England, with an annual
investment budget of more than £5bn. The HCA was formed on 1 December
2008 along with the Tenant Services Authority (the regulatory body for
Registered Social Landlords).
Bringing together the functions of English
Partnerships, the Housing Corporation and some of the work of
Communities and Local Government and the Academy for Sustainable
Communities, the agency is a non-departmental public body under the
sponsorship of the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG).
The HCA is the biggest regeneration and development
agency in Europe, with nearly 1,000 members of staff based in 21 offices
across nine regions with two corporate centres in London and Warrington.
The
Challenge
Recognising the need for a practical and more
efficient means of providing access to standard business applications,
English Partnerships worked alongside Centralis to develop a solution
while the transition to a single entity was made.
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" The HCA reflects a new way of doing business and will transform
how housing and regeneration is delivered across the UK. "
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Ewen Anderson, Managing Director, Centralis
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The Centralis
Solution
A discovery exercise was carried out to establish the
business requirements of the Citrix project. In summer 2008 the existing
infrastructure was reviewed to determine what would need to be scaled up
and what was fit for purpose. Centralis built a solution scalable up to
1,000 users, based on Citrix’s XenApp and NetScaler products.
Phase one of the project saw 500 users go live with
the solution in December 2008. The next phase of the project will be to
migrate the remaining 500 users across to the new solution during 2009.
This phase of the project will also see specialist
applications used by the former Housing Corporation developed for
delivery via a new Citrix Environment.
The
Benefits to the Customer
“We see the flexibility and scalability provided by
our Citrix environment as central to our ICT Strategy” said Tina Hughes,
ICT Manager at HCA. The project’s fixed timescales meant that
particularly close collaboration was required between the in-house team
and Centralis. Excellent working relationships were established right
from the off, and we look forward to continuing to work with Centralis
in the future.”
“The HCA reflects a new way of doing business and
will transform how housing and regeneration is delivered across the UK.
The approach it’s adopted towards desktop delivery will be integral to
its future success,” said Ewen Anderson, managing director, Centralis.
“We look forward to working with the HCA on the next phase of the
project over the next year.”
Related Links
Case study coverage:
http://greenitdepartment.itweek.co.uk/crn/news/2239383/centralis-provides-access
HCA website:
http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/
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